New Hard to Treat Depression Section Opens on HealthyPlace.com

After taking their first SSRI antidepressant regimen, a large majority of patients with Major Depression, the most serious type of depression, don?t get complete relief from their depression symptoms and many give up hope that they?ll ever feel better. Fortunately, there are solutions to this problem but most patients and sometimes even their physicians are generally not well versed on what they are.

?We get hundreds of emails every year from people who say they?ve tried an antidepressant, it didn?t work, and now they feel hopeless,? says Gary Koplin, President of HealthyPlace.com, the largest consumer mental health website. ?That?s why we put together this special content on hard to treat depression.?

Treatment Options Available for Hard to Treat Depression

HealthyPlace.com Medical Director and Board-Certified psychiatrist Dr. Harry Croft notes that this group of patients suffering from severe, difficult to treat depression may need to significantly increase the dose of their antidepressant medication. Dr. Croft, a researcher and specialist in the treatment of depression, says physicians ?can also try a combination of antidepressants, switching to a different type of antidepressant medication, or adding another psychiatric medication to boost the effectiveness of the current antidepressant.? Dr. Croft adds that some physicians may not be as knowledgeable about these treatments because they are outside their specialty area.

The rate of treatment response to first-line depression treatment with SSRIs is between 40% – 60%, but the rate of complete remission from depression is only 30% – 45%. This indicates that most people do not achieve complete remission from their first SSRI medication. Moreover, 10% – 30% of patients do not respond adequately to antidepressant treatment in general.

The new section on HealthyPlace.com includes trusted, easy to understand articles and videos on hard to treat depression and what to do about it, including:

Depression Treatment For Hard-to-Treat Depression
Depression Treatment Goals
Possible Causes of Hard to Treat Depression
Self-Assessment: Do I Have Hard to Treat Depression?
Standard Course of Treatment for Major Depressive Disorder
Medication Treatment Options for Hard to Treat Depression
Antipsychotic Medications For Treatment of Depression
Therapy For Hard to Treat Depression
Other Treatment Options for Hard to Treat Depression

?We hope that armed with this important information, patients with hard to treat depression will share it with their doctors and get the depression relief they so desperately want and need,? says Koplin.

HealthyPlace.com is the largest consumer mental health site on the net with more than a million unique monthly visitors. With one out of every five Americans suffering from some sort of mental or stress-related illness, HealthyPlace.com is a one-stop source for mental health information from experts and from people who are living with psychological disorders and their effects on a daily basis. The site provides comprehensive information on psychological disorders and psychiatric medications from both a consumer and expert point of view as well as an active mental health support network and unique online tools. For additional information, go to: http://www.HealthyPlace.com